Critically Evaluating Information Sources

Reasons for Evaluating Information

• research is a necessary component of tertiary studies
• learning how to determine the usefulness of a particular resource for your research
is one of the core skills of the research process
• in the research process you will encounter many types of resources including
books, articles and websites. However, not everything you find on your topic will
be suitable
• every source of information, be they books, journal articles, televised news or
documentary programs, radio or internet incorporates the perspective or bias of its
authors
• instead of automatically accepting information at face value, you must always
critically evaluate information obtained from resources, whether they are in
electronic or print formats
• how do you make sense of what is out there and evaluate its usefulness for your
research?

Criteria to Evaluate Information

• the process of evaluating sources of information can be sub-divided into five

categories
1. scope
2. treatment
3. authority
4. relevance
5. timeliness
• an acronym known as START can be used to help you remember these categories

Scope

• does the article, book, website or other material cover all aspects of the topic,
particularly the main points?
e.g. consult the contents page for chapter headings
• what is the coverage of the information resource?
- is it a general work that provides an overview of the topic or is it
specifically focused on only one aspect of your topic?
- does it extensively or marginally cover your topic?
- does the coverage of the resource match what you are researching for?
- does the resource update other sources of information, confirm or disprove
other materials you have read, or add new information?
* you should find enough resources to obtain a variety of viewpoints
• does the resource cover the right time period?
- science topics require more up-to-date information
- social science topics are more flexible
• does the resource cover the right geographic location?

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Treatment
• is the information presented in the resource
- fact
- opinion, or
- propaganda?
• while it may not always be easy to verify fact from opinion, facts can usually be
verified through experiments, surveys or further research. Contrarily, while
opinions may be based on factual information, they result from the personal
interpretation of facts
* interpretations from skilled writers can easily be thought of as facts
• what point of view does the author represent?
- is the resource an editorial that is trying to argue a position?
- is the website supported by an organisation with a certain philosophy?
- is the article published in a magazine that has a particular editorial
position?
• is the information supported by footnotes or references?
- documentation such as a bibliography or footnotes indicate that the author
has consulted other sources and verified the information that is been
presented
- links referring to additional resources and other viewpoints or
footnotes documenting sources may be present in websites
• can the information be verified in other information sources?
- do the ideas and arguments lean towards other works you have read on the
topic?
* increasing care and critique should be used when analysing ideas and
thoughts that depart more radically from the views of others in the same field

• is supporting evidence provided in the article?

- is the information valid, well researched and supported by evidence?
- is the document riddled with errors, omissions and typographic mistakes?
- ire assumptions reasonable or are they far fetched?
• primary vs. secondary research (slide 9)
- to determine whether a resource is appropriate, it may be helpful to
determine whether it is primary research or secondary research

- primary research “I was there”

presents original sources of information, research
methods or findings from people who had first-hand
experience with an event
e.g. a journal article, book or other publication
that presents new findings and new theories,
usually with the data

- secondary research a compilation or evaluation of previously presented data

does not present new data or research findings e.g.
a scientific article summarizing research or data

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 Authority
• who is the author?
• what are his/her credentials
- academic background
- institutional affiliation (place of employment)
- past writings or experiences

• is the information resource written on a topic in the author’s area of expertise?

• has your lecturer mentioned this author?
• have you seen the author’s name cited in other sources or bibliographies?
- respected authors are cited frequently by other scholars
→ it is useful to note those names that appear in other sources
• sometimes information about the author is listed in the article
• is the author affiliated with a reputable institution, organisation or
company?
• what are the basic values or goals of this establishment?

Relevance
• is the information resource relevant for your research needs?
• does the information specifically address your specific topic?
• does the information provide evidence to support your point of view?
• who is the intended audience?
- what type of audience is the author addressing?
- is the publication aimed at a special or a general audience?
- is the source too basic, too technical, too advanced, or just right for your
needs?
Timeliness
• when was the source published?
- for books, look for the copyright date on the reverse of the title page.
Check the publication date. For web pages, the date of the last revision is
usually at the bottom of the homepage
• particularly for books, note whether it is a first or revised edition?
- further editions indicate that a source has been revised and updated to
reflect changes in knowledge, included previously omitted materials, and
is in harmony with its intended audience’s needs
- repeated printings or editions may indicate that the work has become a
standard source in the particular discipline and is deemed reliable
- for web sources, the web pages should indicate revision dates

• is the source current or out-of-date for your topic?

- topic areas of continuing and rapid development demand more current
information, e.g. the sciences
- topics in the humanities often require material that was written many
years ago
- interestingly, some web-based news sources note the hour and minute that
articles are posted on their site

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Final Advice on Evaluating Information Sources

1. Read widely on your topic

• Avoid relying on a single source of information
• Try and promote balance in developing your ideas
• Reading multiple sources of information enables you to detect biases and
make informed choices on your own
2. Avoid automatically accepting information
• Just because it appears in a scholarly publication does not necessarily mean
that the information is objective and impartial
• Find out what the author’s peers and others have to say about the information
resource as well as the topic of concern
3. Know the author’s credentials and qualifications
• Is the author a researcher reporting his/her findings or is the author a
professional journalist?
• Is the person a celebrity speaking about a certain issue, or one who has
experience with the issue under discussion?
4. Bias
• Does the author have political or professional interests to promote?
• If important information has been omitted, look for other viewpoints and
make comparisons
5. Currency
• Beware of dated material, especially within the science and technology
disciplines
• You should always begin your research by first finding the most recent
publications, and then working backwards if necessary

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